Apple held its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8 at 1 p.m. EDT, streaming globally via its website, Apple TV app, and YouTube [1, 2, 3, 4]. This marked Tim Cook's last keynote as Apple CEO ahead of John Ternus taking over in September [1, 2, 3].
At the event, Apple introduced unified updates across all platforms with version 27 releases of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS, emphasizing AI-powered improvements [1, 5, 6, 7, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10]. iOS 27 supports all devices compatible with iOS 26, including iPhone 11 and later, contradicting earlier rumors about dropped device support [5, 6, 9]. In contrast, macOS 27 drops support for all Intel-based Macs and only runs on Apple Silicon devices going forward [8, 9]. watchOS 27 removes support for several older Apple Watch models, including the Series 9 [8, 9].
The biggest highlight was a major overhaul of Siri dubbed "Siri 2.0" or "Siri AI," powered by a custom Apple foundation model combined with Google's Gemini multi-modal large language model, reportedly containing around 1.2 trillion parameters [1, 6, 4, 8, 9, 10]. The upgraded Siri supports multi-step tasks across apps, continuous conversational context retention, and can understand screen content including camera-based visual input. Craig Federighi said the new Siri would be "rebuilt around AI" with enhanced context awareness, screen understanding, and continuous conversation abilities [10].
Apple also launched a standalone Siri app featuring a chatbot-like interface and iCloud-synced conversation history [1, 6, 8, 9, 10]. The Siri AI features will arrive first as a beta later in 2026, initially in English. Launches in China and the EU are delayed by regulatory and privacy issues [10].
iOS 27 features a refined "Liquid Glass" design language with customizable transparency and improved visuals [1, 4, 8, 9, 10]. The broader Apple Intelligence platform adds AI-powered photo editing, enhanced writing tools, Safari improvements, home security integration, and better password security [1, 8, 9, 10]. Updated smart home capabilities include a new homeOS platform for device integration [9].
Rumored new hardware at WWDC includes Mac Studio, Mac mini, and iMac models with M5 chips, a new Apple TV 4K using an A17 Pro chip, and an updated HomePod mini, though these remain unconfirmed [1, 6]. Developer beta versions of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 are available but recommended only for secondary devices due to possible bugs [5].
Apple emphasized privacy with Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, running many tasks on-device and private cloud with no data shared with Google despite using the Gemini model, which reportedly costs Apple about $1 billion annually to license [4, 9, 10].
WWDC 2026 carried the slogan "All Systems Glow," reflecting integrated AI and UI enhancements across all its platforms [6, 7, 8, 9]. John Ternus officially succeeds Tim Cook as Apple CEO on September 1, 2026 [1, 2]. The full public release of iOS 27 and other version 27 OS updates is expected later that month [5, 9, 10].
